1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sealing device for a rear view device, such as an inside or outside mirror or camera, of a motor vehicle, which can be arranged between a foot part and a head part that can be rotated relative to the foot part from a normal position into at least one fold-in position about an axis of rotation, having at least one sealing means, which can be or is fixed to the foot part or the head part and which can be or is arranged in a sealing arrangement in which it is in contact with the foot part and the head part and closes a gap existing between the foot part and the head part. In addition, the invention relates to a rear view device having such a sealing device and a motor vehicle having such a rear view device or with such a sealing device.
2. Description of Related Art
Sealing devices for rear view devices in motor vehicles are known, for example, from the field of outside mirrors. In these, a head part can be moved relative to a foot part. A sealing device is provided in the known rear view devices in order to prevent air from flowing through and an ingress of moisture and dirt through a gap between foot part and head part, which can never be completely avoided. The sealing device in the known rear view devices is annular and configured to surround the entire rear view device.
The head part of the outside mirror can be transferred from a normal position, in which the head part is arranged on the vehicle folded out from the vehicle and the rearward traffic can be observed, into a fold-in position in which the outside mirror can be arranged on the motor vehicle in a compact manner to reduce the risk of damage to the outside mirror, particularly in a parked position.
Such outside mirrors with sealing devices are known from JP H09 42456 A and JP S62 134348 A. A sealing device of this generic type for a rear view device having a mirror head and mirror foot is known from EP 2 548 770 A1, which relates to a driving device having means for lifting off the mirror head relative to the mirror foot. The lifting means comprise at least one locking recess and at least one sliding element on the end face of a gear wheel, wherein the sliding element is pivotably arranged on the mirror head and comprises a locking projection for engagement in the locking recess and a sliding surface for relative movement on the end face of the gear wheel.
It was found in some known sealing devices that the pivoting plane within which the head part is transferred from the normal position into the fold-in position relative to the foot part, is not congruent with the plane of the surface of the sealing device. It can therefore never be completely avoided that the sealing device is compressed, stretched, or the like, by which processes the sealing device can be damaged.
Attempts were made to remedy this problem in that a spacing between head part and foot part was increased by a respective kinematic before transferring the head part from the normal position into the fold-in position, after which a transfer from the normal position into the fold-in position was enabled. This proved to be complicated in design and costly.